1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to germination compartments for germinating grain and, more particularly, to germination tray assemblies forming the floor in a germination compartment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Germination compartments have long been used to germinate grain in a process called malting. The grain is placed on a plurality of perforated trays forming a floor assembly and are subjected to germination by controlled temperature and humidity in the compartment.
A major problem in the malting process is the control of contamination and unwanted residue, which must be removed after each three or four day germination cycle, using clear water and then treating the germination area with a clorine water solution to reduce unwanted bacterial growth. The fragrance of germinating malt in a clean, well maintained germination compartment is pleasant, whereas the stench in a compartment poorly cleaned or maintained is pungent and very offensive.
The prior floor structure, devised about 1900 to 1910, and still commonly used today, has many undesirable features making it extremely difficult to clean properly and must be treated with a heavy solution of clorine and water. In the prior art the frame structure for each perforated tray is constructed of a steel channel, outside peripheral members, and steel angle ribs extending across the width of the frame. A perforated sheet is attached to the top of the frame in an offset position so the overlap on two sides extends over the adjoining frame on a recessed surface provided. In prior times, the cleaning was less intensive and less expensive, unlike present day standards.
The old trays are freely placed on supporting I-beams where bacterial growth between the tray frames under the overlapping sheet and the hidden inaccessible pockets of the channels are major problem areas. The wash crew is required to perform under very adverse conditions in a subfloor chamber which has a 100% humidity and due to the offfall from the barley, gets very slippery after the three or four day germinating cycle. The angle ribs are difficult to clean on the underside surface. The configuration of the past tray frame provides nooks, cranies, pockets or cavities that serve as reservoirs for the accumulation of contamination and slime, which is detrimental to the growth and production of high quality malt during the germination cycle.
Another concern of maltsters with reference to germination trays is whether the floor assembly provides a sufficient open area for the passage of air and moisture during the germination process. In prior art, an individual tray assembly having a representative length of 120 inches and width of 44.5 inches, has approximately 37 square feet of area. Since the surface area of the frame components is 8.6875 square feet, 24% of the frame area is closed to free flow of air and humidity circulation.
The old trays also have unprotected tray sheets on the extended surfaces and are frequently damaged by the mechanical plow board used to remove the barley from the compartment floor after the germinating cycle. With the new unloading equipment now being devised to operate automatically unloading the germinated barley from the compartment floor, damage to trays is a serious consideration.
The prior designs also fail to provide a suitable system, both from the standpoint of suitable attachment to an adjacent tray assembly and from the desirability of being adequately affixed to the supporting beams in the germination compartment.